Hello Everyone, Not really new here, just returning after a while. I was on the water the other day, continuing my efforts at becoming a better nymph fisherman, and I realized that depth-wise, my set up and confidence seemed limited to depths of at least a foot and a half to a max of three feet or so. I hope this doesn't sound strange, but any shallower and I feel like my rig was not working the way I needed it to, and deeper I felt like there was too much line between my indicator and my flies to tell me what I needed it to tell me. In shallower water I get the feeling that the flies are getting too bounced around by the bottom for the indicator to tell me much either. I suppose then my questions are as follows:1. Do you feel that nymphing has an "optimal depth" range for your own preferences?2. How do you alter your nymph rig and technique for shallower runs or deeper pools?Thanks all!

Yeah I another tactic I seen for shallow is nymphing tight line with a long leader. No indicator witha tyed in sighter. Or high sticking if ya can get in close. I seen guys do it all last weekend working the creek upstream.

Posted on: 2012/3/15 10:21

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“If, when you pull a fly out youdon’t hear drums and can’t smellchicken blood in the air, put it backin the box, for if it is evil you seek,then it can only be conjured with thesame.”

1) optimal depth depends on the stream. Generally, the deepest water/hole in a certain section is usually a good place to nymph. I usually only nymphs the riffles/faster water....fish don't hold too much in this type water if it is shallow. If the water is shallow and fast it has less of a chance to be broken up by rocks and competing current to create a less current resistant spot for a fish. Now fish will go into shallow water that isn't moving too fast but this is a risky/less protected area so it has to be "worth it" in that there is a hatch or its prime feeding time.2) Change weight and/or adjust indicator. The distance of your indicator depends on depth and current speed...I think some use 1.5 times the depth of the water as a rule of thumb. I am familiar with knotted sections of my leader (ie my thingamabobber has left its mark) so I just pick a usuall spot and adjust as needed. As for weight, it depends on how fast you need to get the fly down. If you have time to mend and let the fly sink then not as much weight is needed. If you need it to sink quickly then add more weight. I know guys who swear by minimal weight and can throw some really cool casts with slack (like a pile cast) so the fly can sink more readily in one spot like pocket in a riffle. I have yet to get into this technique vs adding weight...I like to keep in as close contact to the fly as possible and if there's a lot of slack on your line it can be more difficult to detect a strike or set the hook when your indicator stops. That said, I mainly fish small/medium size stream where you can get out over the riffles. On bigger water this (less weight more mend) style works well. I watched guys on the SR using switch/spey rod to throw some awesome mends and get drifts comparable to the center pinners. I'd like to try this on bigger water around me, like the Lehigh...